President Barack Obama greets Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and ceremony participants backstage before the signing of the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, May 30, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Tom Kludt: An overwhelming majority of Americans said that the economy and unemployment should take precedence over the Congressional investigations into the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups, the Justice Department’s subpoena of Associated Press phone records and last year’s deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University released Thursday.

The poll found that 73 percent of American voters nationwide believe that dealing with the economy and unemployment should be a higher priority than the investigations. Fewer than a quarter of Americans — 22 percent — believe that the investigations should be the higher priority.

Washington Post: President Obama plans to nominate James B. Comey, a former senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration, to replace Robert S. Mueller III as FBI director, according to two people with knowledge of the selection process. Comey was famously involved in a 2004 hospital-room confrontation with White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and the president’s chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr. The two White House officials were attempting to persuade Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, who was recovering from emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder, to reauthorize a controversial warrantless domestic eavesdropping program.

Comey, who was acting attorney general in Ashcroft’s absence, had refused to agree to extend the program. When he learned that the White House was attempting to go around him and get the ill Ashcroft to sign off on an extension, Comey rushed to George Washington University Medical Center, arriving just before Gonzales and Card. Comey explained to Ashcroft what was happening and, when the White House officials arrived, the attorney general raised himself up and said he never should have authorized the program. He gestured at Comey and said, “There is the attorney general,” according to an account by former Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman.

Steve Benen: Comey isn’t exactly your typical Republican. We are, after all, talking about a Republican attorney who balked at the legality of the Bush/Cheney warrantless wiretap program, signed a legal brief endorsing marriage equality, believes terrorist suspects should be tried in America’s criminal-justice system, and even endorsed Eric Holder’s Attorney General nomination in 2009. For some of the rabid partisans on Capitol Hill, I suspect Comey will be seen as a RINO (Republican In Name Only).

U.S. pending home sales rise to the highest level in three years: National Association of Realtors #breaking

But there’s one other angle that’s worth thinking about as the process unfolds: if Obama had any reason to worry about ongoing investigations casting the White House in a negative light, the president would not have chosen a Republican with a history of independence to lead the FBI. On the contrary, if Obama were the least bit concerned about the so-called “scandals,” he’d be eager to do the opposite — choosing a Democratic ally for the FBI. With this in mind, by selecting Comey, the president not only sends a bipartisan signal, but also one of great confidence.

Digby: The National Republican Campaign Committee announced Tuesday that it will put versions of the billboard below on thousands of trucks in the districts of Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Ron Barber (D-AZ), Collin Peterson (D-MN) and John Barrow (D-GA). “It’s time that House Democrats are held accountable for their support of ObamaCare, especially now that the scandal-ridden IRS is in charge of enforcing the program,” NRCC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek told TPM.

Howie points out what a stupid strategy this is. Barrow and the others are being targeted for voting for Obamacare. But even if it were true — it isn’t, Barrow voted against the ACA — All of these (mostly former) Members of Congress were either forced to resign or were defeated because they had lost the support of the Democratic base in their districts. The four targeted Dems are all voting like Republicans. They would, therefore, seem to be vulnerable. But the fact remains that it’s Democrats who elect them. They’re not going to get anywhere by demagogueing Obamacare, even in conservative Democratic districts.

Lori Montgomery: The 10 largest breaks in the U.S. tax code will save taxpayers more than $900 billion this year, with a little more than half the benefits flowing to the richest 20 percent of households, congressional budget analysts said Wednesday. And the richest 1 percent of households, those with at least $327,000 in annual income, get an especially big haul — about 17 percent of the total savings, according to the report by the Congressional Budget Office.

Democrats seized on the new analysis, saying it provides fresh support for President Obama’s claim that limiting tax breaks for the rich offers a more sensible path to deficit reduction than sharp cuts to agency budgets, known as the sequester. The 10 largest breaks affect individual tax bills and taken together will cost the Treasury about $925 billion in the current fiscal year, the CBO said, making them more expensive than any of the biggest government spending programs — including Social Security, Medicare and the military.

Steve Benen: Last week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) got a little confused. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, the Iowa Republican read brief remarks in which he condemned the Obama administration for pushing a “court-packing” strategy in which the president would nominate judges to fill existing vacancies. It was left to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to gently explain that Grassley had no idea what he was talking about.

Not to put too fine a point on this, but the argument is simply crazy. In the American system of government, it’s madness to suggest the president is doing something controversial when he nominates qualified jurists to fill vacancies on the federal bench.

During Reagan’s two terms, he named nine judges to the D.C. Circuit. Was this “court packing”? No, it was a president sending judicial nominees to the Senate, which then confirmed those nominees. It’s the way the system is supposed to work, whether you like the president at the time or not.

When Republicans block commonsense gun safety measures in the U.S. Congress, go through the states.

The Sacramento Bee: The California Senate today approved a package of bills that tighten the state’s regulation of firearms by outlawing detachable and large capacity magazines, keeping track of people who buy ammunition and widening the category of offenders who are prohibited from owning guns for 10 years. Senate Democrats drafted the bills in response to December’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Igor Bobic: The Department of Justice claims it has proof it alerted the parent company of Fox News of a subpoena used to obtain the phone log records of Washington correspondent James Rosen as part of an investigation into a 2010 leak of classified information, according to CNN.

“The Justice Department is telling us here at CNN….that it showed a Fox News notification according to the Justice Department of this James Rosen investigation nearly three years ago,” CNN’s Jim Acosta reported on air Wednesday, per a rush transcript. “To back that up, earlier this afternoon Justice and law enforcement producer Carol Cratty was shown by a law enforcement official documents indicating as much of this notification to the parent company of Fox News, News Corporation.”

Hunter Walker: First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at a DNC Fundraiser at the Manhattan home of fashion designer Tory Burch Wednesday evening.Burch introduced Obama by praising the First Lady for working “tirelessly and effectively” on several issues including “the problem of childhood obesity,” education, and standing up for the needs of “women and girls.” “With her passionate advocacy, dedication, grace, and style our First Lady has been an important voice for women and girls around the world,” Burch said. “Women and girls in this country and around the world have a true ally and an amazing role model in our first lady.”

Obama said the consequences of this “imbalance” in engagement are on display “every day in Washington.” “Just last month for example we saw the failure of common sense legislation to protect our kids from gun violence, legislation by the way that 90 percent of the American people supported. We’re seeing a budget stalemate and a sequester resulting in children across the country being turned away from Head Start, and so many seniors losing their meals on wheels, and now there’s talk about cutting food stamps,” Obama said.

The First Lady described these cuts as “not what this country is about.” “We are so much more compassionate and fair, so much more decent than that,” said Obama.

So I lay in bed relaxing to the pitter patter of rain and thinking what a clear and soothing sound it was. Suddenly, I realized the sound was so clear because it was coming from my ceiling. Good morning, everyone!

Actually, Linda I totally expected it. Last week we had a thunderstorm and winds so strong it blew off siding and a heap of shingles. It’s supposed to rain the next three days…I just hope the ceiling doesn’t fall in. It’s a rental so I’m at someone else’s mercy. I did think they would at least tarp the roof until they can do the repairs, but noooo.

Got into a heated exchange with my journalist daughter about that very subject last night. She was in full defense of the journalism community, though she admitted that many of them fail to observe the most elementary rules of journalism.

With the rights of the free press comes responsibility. Rosen was soliciting the breaking of important national security laws for the express purpose of hurting PBO for political purposes. I will in almost all instances defer to the First Amendment rights of the press, but there are exceptions and they need to act responsibly and with integrity. Journalistic integrity has left the building, unfortunately.

My goddaughter worked in intelligence while serving in the Army and of course she shares no details with me, but she says how difficult it is to establish the intelligence resources we need, how delicate it is, and how one, unthinking or malicious leak can destroy decades of sensitive work, not to mention loss of innocent lives. She’s a good liberal, but this stuff makes her insane because she understands what is at stake.

This is common sense to me. I get a little weary of “the public’s right to know mime”. Some things should be kept secret. Besides, half the public can’t comprehend what they read and the other half doesn’t care. :)

This is an article about J. Comey and copy of the resignation letter he prepared for President Bush, when Cheney and CO tried to do and end run on wiretapping, while A.G. Ashcroft was gravely sick in a hospital bed… This man is full of integrity.

There were serious problems with that alleged ‘compromise’. I was really conflicted about support. I get weary of having to choose to support something because the left has decided that one issue or one law or whatever represents our side in its entirety.

Bit chilly weather wise – much improved health wise – and the grandbabe is as gorgeous as ever.

Glad you are enjoying the break – my dad was a teacher – when we lived in the city I remember heading off every summer vacation to stay with the grandparents at the beach. Guess my grandmother was rather keen on grandbabes as well.

And on the Bachmann piece – no wonder MSNBC has ratings below ground with Chris Hayes calling her “just someone with a set of beliefs”.

Great to hear that all is well and that you are enjoying the grandbabe!! I always enjoy the summer break from school, but when it comes time to return, I’m always happy to see all the kids again:) Just wish that summer here wasn’t so blooming hot….we all tend to live like vampires here in the summer….coming out at night and doing all the things that the day was too hot for. Our glorious 90’s are coming to an end today and we start in earnest all those triple digit days……for months on end:) Summer in the desert.

Glad you liked those links…MSNBC is in the crapper……with crazy talkers like that, it’s no wonder. Anyway, enjoy the day…maybe I can dig up some more goodies to read!!

Condoleezza Rice……“Iran’s direct support of regional and global terrorism and its aggressive efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction belie any good intentions it displayed in the days after the world’s worst terrorist attacks in history.” So it was with shock (and with something like the opposite of awe) that, seven years later, the newly elected Barack Obama learned that the Bush administration had never even drawn up plans for attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. Obama discovered this when he asked his generals for their plan, and they had none. Bush had never asked for one. The bellicose rhetoric on Iran, in other words, was empty of substance.

Stay focus on their fake scandals, but I have a feeling the Republicans will end up regretting this. Instead of working with the President to try to get legislation done, they rather focus on lies and fake scandals.

From all I have read, yes! Look at the letter he wrote and the integrity he showed….but that’s not the story GG likes to share! Not only that, he makes it appear as if HE ALREADY IS THE FBI DIRECTOR! Such a liar and a charlatan.

here’s what makes me insane: the Left should NEVER follow liars and charlatans. By nature we should have the moral high ground; but since PBO’s election the Left is peppered with liars that are no better than Glen Beck. I welcome principled debate but not when any alleged spokesmen for the Left lie.

I JUST got finished listening to the testimony that LP posted in the Tweet. This doesn’t sound ANYTHING like what GG is saying and trying to pawn off as the truth!!! Maybe someone should Tweet the powers that be at the Guardian and let them see this testimony…and then compare it to their liar, GG…..let the paper know that they have no credibility as long as they keep this liar and charlatan on their payroll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus will take a new job with investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. as he attempts to rebuild his reputation after an extramarital affair with a biographer triggered his resignation as CIA director last fall.

Petraeus, 60, will serve as chairman of the New York firm’s newly created KKR Global Institute.

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I think he bungled Benghazi and the affair was just cover to get rid of him.

So let me get this straight: anyone can tell McCain anything, get their picture taken with him with no actual investigation done by his crack team. And he gets to say “oops” and that’s the end of it? Yet PBO was supposed to be a cartoon hero during Benghazi when, as I recall, there were flare-ups all over the Middle East that day? And for protecting sensitive intelligence resources, conducting a thorough unbiased investigation, and keeping the Middle East from not going apeshit crazy if we’d sent half of the Marines to storm Libya, PBO is to be savaged?

And we’re supposed to take him seriously on national security issues? Has he always been the idiot he has shown himself to be since 2008? Is he really the Emperor with no Clothes?

I sometimes (in fact frequently) despair over the inability of Americans of perceive nuance and subtlety, specially on the emo prog side. Comey is not the first time PBO has shown is hatred, and I think that is appropriate word, of what the Bush administration did. He just doesn’t say things in a very blatant way, but people who have the ability to see between the lines know that;

Obama's selection of Comey is just the latest in what has been a continuing parade of his giving the finger to the Bush administration.

Last night Rachel reminded her audience about Comey’s (and current FBI Director Robert Mueller’s) dramatic actions to thwart the illegal sheninanigans of Bush and Alberto Gonzales. As Yardarm mentioned last night, it was really chilling to remember how Nixonian the Bush administration was.

The video is 13 minutes long and this nomination is also USA Today’s front page banner “Bush official is Obama’s FBI pick.”

This segment is absolutely breathtaking. Mr. Comey’s testimony about shady activity of some Bush administration officials is riveting. You see a Bush administration official who demonstrated independence and integrity. Imagine that. This creates a real conundrum for the Republicans. I just hope there will be enough popcorn to get us through the hearings.

FYI – This creeps me out so much. If anyone follows @Political_Bill I suggest you unfollow him. He was just sentenced to prison for child pornography per article in The Tennessean that was posted on twitter yesterday.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The average I.Q. of a member of the House of Representatives is expected to rise sharply in 2015, experts said today.

The experts, who indicated that they were “cautiously optimistic” about the development, said that the gains were most likely to be made in the Midwest.

The expected rise in I.Q. could mean that the average congressperson would have a greater grasp of basic concepts in math and science, including the law of evolution, as well as addition and subtraction.

The last time a branch of the federal government experienced such a significant increase in average I.Q., experts said, was the executive branch in 2009.

I don’t know anything about Comey, I vaguely remember his name, but I do know President Obama. And if President Obama picked this guy to head the F.B.I, well then that tells me everything I need to know about Comey.

Works for me, too. I’ve been a supporter since 2007 and he has not led us astray since then, from my POV. (I’ve been watchin’ closely, with the rest of y’all!!!!) And if he ever does, inadvertently, he’s earned a pass.

Is this from the same Shreveport, La. source? I don’t get the point in these ricin letters—–do they think the president and the mayor etc. are going out to their mailbox to get the mail every day? Do they not realize all this mail goes to a sorting, clearing center? This country is overflowing with seriously and dangerously ill dumbnuts.

TRUE TO FORM, A JACKAL QUESTIONS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FUNDRAISING IN CHICAGO.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 5/29/2013

============================================

Q Quick follow-up. The President is going to Chicago to do some fundraising today. You’ve often talked about how — one of the White House’s biggest assets is the President’s time. Is it a good use of the President’s time to be in Chicago, campaigning, raising money for Democratic candidates? Or should he be making the case for his agenda, trying to build a congressional coalition for what he’s hoping to accomplish?

MR. CARNEY: I think the President’s time, I think, is devoted overwhelmingly to the former, as I think any who look at his schedule demonstrates. The fact that the President has taken some time to support the DSCC or the DNC, or the DCCC is completely consistent with the activities of his predecessors of both parties.

But I think, again, if you look at what this President is focused on and the great majority of his time is dedicated to is the business of ensuring that we have the national security policies in place that keep this country safe and keep Americans safe, and that we are pursuing an agenda that helps the economy grow, helps the middle class feel more secure, and helps those who would aspire to the middle class obtain that status. And those are the President’s primary objectives. And he has, as you know, in recent weeks, focused intensely on a number of legislative objectives, including comprehensive immigration reform and there has been marked progress on that particular issue. There has been some progress on other issues. And we will continue to engage in Congress on the President’s agenda.

Just because the jackals and their fellow RWNJs don’t have any former Presidents they wish to acknowledge, much less ask to fundraise for them, doesn’t mean Democrats don’t have a President we are proud of, who’s perfectly willing and able to GOTV and help raise the dollars. And all this while doing his “day job” in a sterling manner, as the rest of the world knows. Our first goal is 2014, and President Obama will be leading the charge.

Jay is too much of a gentleman my reply would start with a F and ends with a U. What kind of question is that, these so called journalists at the White House need to leave. This question was meant to give the impression that the President is spending most of his time raising money and campaigning which is so not the truth. The WHPC is a disgrace

While before the 2012 election, they used to ask the same question using slightly different words, it is hard to believe that they are so damn dumb that they don’t realize (believe me – I think they don’t actually realize) President Obama won the election and is happily seated in his second term. He can do anything with his time that he wishes to do – he’s done running for office, himself. Luckily, for us, that means taking care of our country first. And the second part of that is helping to get the majority in the House and keep the majority in the Senate, so he can get some damn legislation passed, for the good of the country and the world.

And what is amazing, is that the press STILL acts as if it has NO idea why the public dislikes it and distrusts it. They act like children, and expect respect.
My daughter and her husband (late 30s, early 40s) NEVER watch network or cable news. My son-in-law has Al Jazeera and BBC on his phone. He is thrilled that AJ is coming to the states. I think they are quite typical of that generation. The MSM are in for a shock, I think ,when AJ comes to the states. But, I don’t think they’ll get it even then. They seem to be willfully closed and myopic.